Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided EPS guidance of 5.100-5.600 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 5.520. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Delta Air Lines also updated its Q4 2026 guidance to 1.150-1.650 EPS.

Delta Air Lines Stock Down 1.0%

DAL opened at $82.12 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $54.00 billion, a PE ratio of 13.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.34. Delta Air Lines has a twelve month low of $55.03 and a twelve month high of $95.68. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $83.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 9th. The transportation company reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $17.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $17.65 billion. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 17.52% and a net margin of 5.79%.Delta Air Lines has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.150-1.650 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.100-5.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Delta Air Lines will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 15th will be issued a $0.2150 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 15th. This represents a $0.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Delta Air Lines’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DAL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Bank of America boosted their target price on Delta Air Lines from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their target price on Delta Air Lines from $104.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Seaport Research Partners reduced their price target on Delta Air Lines from $108.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 28th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Delta Air Lines presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.01.

Insider Activity at Delta Air Lines

In other Delta Air Lines news, EVP Alain Bellemare sold 35,000 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.72, for a total value of $3,245,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 95,025 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,810,718. The trade was a 26.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Steven M. Sear sold 40,460 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.55, for a total transaction of $3,785,033.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 104,404 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,766,994.20. The trade was a 27.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 356,726 shares of company stock valued at $33,081,037 over the last quarter. 0.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Delta Air Lines News

Here are the key news stories impacting Delta Air Lines this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Demand remained resilient, with record September-quarter revenue, healthy yield growth and management expecting December-quarter revenue to increase approximately 20%. CEO Ed Bastian also said fares could rise further as fuel prices remain elevated. Delta Air Lines Announces September Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Delta expects approximately $2.5 billion of 2026 free cash flow, a double-digit return on invested capital and more than $2 billion of debt repayment, supporting its balance-sheet improvement and longer-term investment case. Delta Air Lines Announces September Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have generally maintained positive ratings despite cutting estimates and price targets, suggesting confidence in Delta’s premium-travel strategy and demand durability but greater caution around near-term costs. Wall Street Cut Its Delta Air Estimates Below the Company’s Own Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Delta reduced its full-year 2026 EPS guidance to $5.10–$5.60, below the $5.52 analyst consensus at the midpoint. Fourth-quarter EPS guidance of $1.15–$1.65 also brackets a midpoint below consensus, while revenue guidance of $17.5 billion trails the $18.4 billion estimate. Delta Air Lines cuts profit forecast as fuel costs outpace fare gains
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.72 missed the $1.77 consensus, marking Delta’s first earnings miss in two years. The combination of higher fuel expenses and weaker-than-expected guidance is driving the negative investor reaction despite solid underlying demand. Delta Air Lines cuts 2026 forecast on fuel surge

Delta Air Lines Company Profile

Delta Air Lines, Inc is a major U.S. airline that provides scheduled passenger and air freight transportation. The company serves destinations throughout the United States and connects customers to international markets across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, Africa and the Caribbean through its own operations and regional airline partners.

Delta offers multiple classes of passenger service, including premium cabins and its main cabin, along with travel-related products such as vacation packages and loyalty benefits through the SkyMiles program.